Regreasing Axle CV Joints

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 20 Dec 2018, 13:01

Discovered the clamp on the driver side outer axle boot had come off. Looks like it sprayed a little grease out. Was looking into regreasing all the joints as preventative maintenance. I could not see a grease fitting anywhere, so I'm assuming it is under the boot, or are these the one's you have to pull the boot back and repack by hand? Is there a certain trick to this?

What grease is recommended I use? I have some general purpose wheel bearing grease, and I have a tube of lithium high pressure grease I use for hydraulic systems. Or is there something else I should get?

Post by **abscate** » 20 Dec 2018, 14:57

Moly grease, with MoS2 additive for CVs

You do have to open them up to repack, but if the spray was minimal, just reclamp and pay attention to them

Post by **gmh** » 20 Dec 2018, 15:45

Here's the link to the classic cn90 thread detailing the axle removal and boot replacement:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=29716

As Steve says, if there is minimal grease outside of the boot you can fix or replace the clamp (use oetiker clamp).

If you have reason to suspect dirt or gravel has entered the boot it is best to remove the axle, clean away the old grease, repack with new grease and replace the boot.

New Volvo axles are quite pricey and the consensus here is there is no such thing as a good aftermarket axle.

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 20 Dec 2018, 23:09

I think the clamp was off for at worst 2 months. There is quite a bit of greasy dirt on the axle (passenger side is clean). So I don't think it's worth the risk of not checking it out. Do I have to pull the axle to repack? or is it doable if I just remove the wheel, caliper. and rotor? I think there is enough room if I pull off the clamp on the outer side and pull back the boot.

To save me the time of figuring out where on earth I left my calipers, What sizes are the inner and outer oetiker clamps?

Was looking on FCP, and will definitely pick up either the Liqui-Moly CV joint grease, or the Redline red moly grease.

Also, I have a grease gun with a long blunt needle attachment for greasing hard to reach places. I'm pretty sure I could slide it under the CV boot if I took the clamp off and add grease to the rest. Would this be worth it as preventative maintenance, or would it be rather pointless?

Post by **gmh** » 21 Dec 2018, 00:13

To do it right, the joint has to come apart and all the old grease cleaned out. Probably could be done on the car, but not more easily than removing. Ideally removal/install of the axle takes minutes, cleaning/repacking maybe an hour. The thread I linked is a great aid in the process. GKN Loebro is the OEM and the boot kit comes with the clamps and grease https://www.rmeuropean.com/Products/271 ... V2944.aspx so no need to know the clamp specs. Moving grease around happens with high speed rotation.

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 21 Dec 2018, 02:20

Alright, I think I'll pull the boot back and look for grittiness in the grease. If I see no contamination, I'll just add some more grease and pull the boot back down. If I see contamination, I'll pull the axle and do it right. Thanks all.

Post by **cn90** » 21 Dec 2018, 22:33

- Just buy the GKN kit posted above for $11.

- If you are "lazy", then clean around the boot, squeeze some new grease in (I use Castrol HD grease, about $5/can at local stores, or use the grease that comes with the boot), then use the new Oetiker clamp. Save the boot for another time.

- Or you can buy ONLY the clamps for $1.20 (but these are not GKN stuff):
https://www.rmeuropean.com/Products/302 ... V2943.aspx

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 21 Dec 2018, 22:39

I admit I'm being lazy on this one, but if the grease is not contaminated with dirt, then I don't see the point in going through all the extra trouble. If it really is that easy to pull the axle, then I might do it anyway. Regardless, this is going to wait until after Christmas, and I'll reassess my plan of attack. Thanks for the links.

Post by **oragex** » 22 Dec 2018, 02:45

Had the same issue, but I have to say, your actual problem is rather the clamp. If you have the genuine one, it is not tight enough and it's is not easy to tighten it because the metal is very thick and stiff.

As for the grease, you will need to release the clamp (not easy on genuine ones), slide the boot off the CV cup just a little bit, use a butter knife or alike to 'push' inside the amount of grease needed, then slide back the boot and tighten the clamps. It can be done without removing the axle, but you'll need to put the cr on jack-stands and work from underneath.

https://www.harborfreight.com/moly-grap ... 97843.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcODCwpyjEk
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mkWzAaHyJE

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 22 Dec 2018, 21:36

oragex wrote: 22 Dec 2018, 02:45 Had the same issue, but I have to say, your actual problem is rather the clamp. If you have the genuine one, it is not tight enough and it's is not easy to tighten it because the metal is very thick and stiff.

As for the grease, you will need to release the clamp (not easy on genuine ones), slide the boot off the CV cup just a little bit, use a butter knife or alike to 'push' inside the amount of grease needed, then slide back the boot and tighten the clamps. It can be done without removing the axle, but you'll need to put the cr on jack-stands and work from underneath.

https://www.harborfreight.com/moly-grap ... 97843.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcODCwpyjEk
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mkWzAaHyJE

I would have to agree. Mechanic tried tightening the clamp with those special pliers, but I can see it already starting to slip off again. I'm thinking because of that lip and grease being forced out instead of in, that dirt contamination was likely minimal if at all.

Picked up some moly grease and oetiker pliers. After Christmas, I will re-examine the situation and look closely at the boot.

I'm pretty sure the boots on one side have been replaced. The driver side boots are black, but the passenger side look more gray/brown.